Sam Fuld already has four stolen bases since his trade to the Athletics. He’s seeing time batting second in the A’s lineup now that Coco Crisp has returned from injury, and should continue to get enough playing time in the outfield to make him relevant as a speed play in most fantasy leagues. He’s basically owned nowhere with less than 2% ownership on ESPN, so he’s likely available as a play in leagues that make daily roster changes. Fuld is getting on base at a .347 clip this season and he’s only been caught three times in 19 stolen base attempts. His 16 stolen bases have come in only 262 plate appearances. That’s a rate of one steal for every 16 plate appearances. In the A’s lineup he’ll have opportunites to score runs, but outside of that and his steals he’s not going to bring much to the table as a .260 hitter with no power (hence the appearances in these SAGNOF columns). We’re getting closer to the finish line here folks and we need to get the stats where we can. Give Fuld a look this week against the Braves, who are tied for 8th in baseball with 73 stolen bases allowed. Here are some other steals picks for this week in 2014 fantasy baseball…
Jordan Schafer, OF – @HOU, @KC
Schafer has seen an uptick in his fantasy value now that he’s with the Twins. Like Fuld, he’s swiped four bags already with his new team. While he’s not an everyday player his speed comes in handy for those in need of a spark in steals. We’re past most fantasy trade deadlines so guys like Schafer are an easy way to pick up a point or two in the steals cat if you’re paying attention to match-ups and lineups. Keep an eye on Schafer in Houston. The Astros rank right there with the Braves with 73 stolen bases allowed this season. Schafer’s 18 swipes on the season have come in just 108 plate appearances, but steals are all he’s really going to offer as he’s hitting just .185 this season.
Anthony Gose, OF – @SEA, @CWS
Gose continues to see time in Toronto’s outfield and had three more steals last week including two in yesterday’s marathon match with the Tigers. It was impressive to see him steal successfully against Alex Avila, who is one of the better backstops in baseball at gunning down base stealers (35% CS%). Gose is only hitting .236 on the year and he’s been at the bottom of the Jays’ lineup. His value comes from his 14 stolen bases in 200 plate appearaces but he’s probably a better option for AL-only leagues or 15-team and deeper mixed leagues.
Jose Ramirez, MI – ARI, BAL
When Asdrubal Cabrera was traded to the Nationals part of me hoped that we’d see Francisco Lindor up in Cleveland as the everyday shortstop. I’ll have to wait a little longer for that as Ramirez has taken over most of the starts there for the Tribe. Ramirez stole 38 bags in the minor leagues last season and he has a couple swipes this year with the big club. This one’s more of a long shot for deep league players in need of a shortstop. The match-ups are tough this week as well. With only five games on the schedule, Ramirez goes up against the Diamondbacks and Orioles. Both are in the bottom third of the league for stolen bases allowed.
